US Trends

how much does us soccer coach make

The current head coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, Mauricio Pochettino, makes a bit over $6 million per year in base salary , while the U.S. women’s national team coach, Emma Hayes, earns just over $1.1 million per year in base salary when annualized.

Quick Scoop: What “US Soccer Coach” Salary Really Means

When people ask “how much does US soccer coach make” , they can mean very different roles—national team coaches, college coaches, or everyday club/academy coaches.

To keep it clear, let’s break it down into three main levels:

  • U.S. national team coaches (men’s and women’s “US Soccer”).
  • College soccer coaches.
  • General and professional soccer coaches across the U.S.

U.S. National Team Coaches (USSF)

Mauricio Pochettino – USMNT Head Coach

  • U.S. Soccer’s tax filings show Mauricio Pochettino’s annualized base salary at about $6,040,600.
  • This places him among the highest-paid national team coaches in the world , reportedly third behind England’s and Brazil’s coaches.
  • Earlier filings indicate he received roughly $2.5 million in base salary plus a $2.5 million signing/bonus in his first partial year, totaling just over $5 million for about seven months of work.

Emma Hayes – USWNT Head Coach

  • For Emma Hayes, the U.S. women’s coach, the annualized numbers come to about $1,116,835 in base salary per year.
  • In a partial fiscal year, she earned about $1.47 million total , including roughly $744,557 salary , $700,000 in bonuses , and about $25,000 in other compensation.
  • She is believed to be the highest-paid women’s national team coach globally and earns more than twice what her predecessor Vlatko Andonovski made.

So if you mean “US Soccer coach” as in the official national team head coaches, you’re looking at roughly $6M/year for the men’s coach and $1.1M+/year for the women’s coach , plus bonuses.

College Soccer Coaches in the U.S.

College pay is much lower than USSF national team salaries but still can be very high at top programs.

  • The top earning college soccer coach cited is Sasho Cirovski (Maryland men’s soccer) , with total compensation of about $594,309 per year.
  • Other leading figures:
    • Notre Dame’s Bobby Clark (before retirement) earned around $352,000.
* Clemson’s Mike Noonan made about **$327,000**.

* Duke’s John Kerr was at roughly **$321,495**.

* Indiana’s Todd Yeagley earned around **$313,000**.

These numbers show that top NCAA soccer coaches often fall in the low-to-mid six figures , far below elite college football but still very substantial.

Typical Soccer Coach Salaries in the U.S.

If by “US soccer coach” you mean coaches working at clubs, academies, or lower professional levels, the pay is much more modest and varies widely.

Broad Averages

Different sources give slightly different averages because they capture different roles and seniority levels:

  • One national estimate for “Soccer Coach” gives an average of about $48,400 per year , with a range from roughly $26,400 to $180,000 , and an average of $15/hour.
  • Another detailed salary site shows an average soccer coach salary around $89,315 per year , with typical ranges between $71,831 and $121,187.
  • A job-board analysis finds that soccer coaches in America make an average of about $45,887 per year , with the top 10% making over $56,160 and the bottom 10% under $31,200.

Hourly Estimates

  • Indeed reports the average hourly pay for a soccer coach at about $27.33/hour , with a range from around $10.89 to $68.58 per hour , based on thousands of job postings.
  • In specific cities, rates can be much higher—for example, Richmond, VA is listed at about $58.29/hour , while Brooklyn, NY and Denver, CO run in the $32–39/hour range.

Professional Club-Level Coaches (Non-National Team)

Some data sets look specifically at “Professional Soccer Coach” roles:

  • A job-aggregator estimate puts the average annual pay for a Professional Soccer Coach at about $41,332 per year , or roughly $19.87/hour.
  • Another compensation platform suggests a much higher average of about $83,809 per year , with coaches in places like San Jose, CA reaching around $165,471 , nearly double the national average.

Taken together, “ordinary” soccer coaches in the U.S. often fall roughly in the $40k–$90k per year band, depending heavily on level (youth, elite academy, pro), region, and experience, with outliers above and below that range.

National Team vs Other Coaches (HTML Table)

Here’s a simplified HTML table comparing the kinds of “US soccer coach” you might be thinking of:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Coach Type</th>
      <th>Example</th>
      <th>Approx. Annual Base Pay</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>USMNT Head Coach (National Team)</td>
      <td>Mauricio Pochettino [web:4][web:10]</td>
      <td>≈ $6,040,600 base (annualized) [web:4][web:10]</td>
      <td>Among highest-paid national team coaches; large bonuses/signing incentives possible. [web:4][web:9][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>USWNT Head Coach (National Team)</td>
      <td>Emma Hayes [web:9][web:10]</td>
      <td>≈ $1,116,835 base (annualized) [web:10]</td>
      <td>Considered highest-paid women’s national team coach; total comp with bonuses near $1.47M in one fiscal year. [web:9][web:10]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Top College Soccer Coach</td>
      <td>Sasho Cirovski (Maryland) [web:7]</td>
      <td>≈ $594,309 total compensation [web:7]</td>
      <td>Highest reported among college soccer coaches in one survey; other top coaches in low-to-mid six figures. [web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>General Soccer Coach (National Average)</td>
      <td>Various club/academy roles [web:1][web:5][web:8]</td>
      <td>≈ $45,000–$90,000 typical range [web:1][web:5][web:8]</td>
      <td>Estimates differ by data source; depends on location, experience, and level (youth vs elite). [web:1][web:5][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Professional Soccer Coach (Club Level)</td>
      <td>Non-national pro coaches [web:2][web:6]</td>
      <td>≈ $41,332–$83,809 average, with some above $150,000 [web:2][web:6]</td>
      <td>Large spread; major markets like San Jose, CA can exceed $160,000 total compensation. [web:6]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Forum-Style Perspective & Latest Buzz

In recent forum discussions and news coverage, a few themes keep popping up around “how much does US soccer coach make” and related pay debates:

  1. Pay gap between USMNT and USWNT coaches
    • Commentators often highlight that Pochettino earns almost six times Hayes’ base salary, even though both roles are part of U.S. Soccer and both teams are globally prominent.
 * At the same time, Hayes is praised for being the **top-paid women’s national team coach** , which some view as progress and others as still not enough compared to men’s salaries.
  1. Contrast with college and grassroots coaching
    • Fans and coaches in forums frequently point out that while national team coaches take home millions, most soccer coaches are grinding in the $40k–$70k range , often working evenings and weekends.
 * College soccer salaries in the hundreds of thousands can look huge to youth coaches, but still modest compared with college football where top coaches make **$10–13 million per year**.
  1. Location and level matter a lot
    • Discussions also emphasize that a “US soccer coach” in a big metro or elite academy can have a much higher salary than one in a small-town program, even if the job titles sound similar.
 * Some pro coaches in high-cost areas see compensation well above the national average, while many others remain closer to general club coaching pay.

In short, the phrase “how much does US soccer coach make” covers a huge spectrum—from millions for national team bosses , to high six figures for top college coaches , down to typical salaries around $40k–$90k for everyday club and academy coaches.

TL;DR

  • USMNT head coach (Pochettino): ≈ $6.0M/year base , plus big bonuses.
  • USWNT head coach (Hayes): ≈ $1.1M/year base , with total comp in some years around $1.47M.
  • Top college soccer coaches: often $300k–$600k/year , depending on school and success.
  • Typical soccer coaches (clubs, academies, lower pro): roughly $40k–$90k/year , with wide variation by level and city.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.